[Gasification] FUEL SELECTION TO GASIFIER

[Bob Stuart]

On 6-Mar-07, at 3:20 PM, jim mason wrote:
>
> this is always the rub in most gasification efforts.  the fuel must be
> standardized.  like gasoline must be standardized for the engine, so
> must solid fuel be standardized for the gasifier so it can make a
> standardized gaseous fuel for the engine.  there are various fancy
> designs around this problem, for which most of us have some scheme to
> solve, which i do too, but i'm in the process of patenting it, so no
> show just quite yet.

I know this has been tried, but am still thinking of trying it again,  
if nobody can discourage me.  I'm thinking of a system that would use  
waste heat from the process to cook the fuel without air.  The  
biomass would be loosely loaded into standard steel boxes, and  
initially dried if necessary through boiling off the water.  When  
ready, the boxes would be moved into a hotter part of the oven and  
the volatiles driven off.  They would be piped through the char boxes  
in the hottest part before heading to the cyclone and engine.  The  
exhaust heat exchangers  would heat the oven.  Any opinions on if  
this would work with a variety of fuels by adjusting the amount of  
time the boxes spend in various parts of  the oven, and how much air  
gets into the char boxes?

Thanks,
Bob Stuart